From walls to evictions: A week in photos - October 17-23

This week: Palestinians face the separation wall and settler violence while harvesting olives, Afghan asylum seekers protest while under pressure in Brussels, Israelis face eviction from public housing, Palestinians debate prisoner exchanges, new barriers are built in Hebron, West Bankers wait for work, and Palestinian children face soldiers and water shortages.

A Palestinian farmer waits for Israeli soldiers to open the agricultural gate, in order to harvest their olive trees on the other side of the Separation Wall. Ni’lin, West Bank, October 21, 2013. After the building of the wall in the West Bank village of Ni’lin, many farmers were separated from their agriculture land. In order to work in this land, they need to apply for permits from the Israeli army to cross the Wall. (photo: Keren Manor/Activestills.org)

Protesters lie on the ground next to a mock coffin in a memorial demonstration for those who died trying to reach Europe or might be killed if they are forced to return to their countries. The action was part of a demonstration in support of asylum seekers and against current European migration policies, Brussels, Belgium, October 19, 2013. The demonstration occurred two weeks after the the shipwreck off the Italian island Lampedusa that left 359 migrants dead. This is the worst immigration tragedy for Italy in more than a decade. (photo: Anne Paq/Activestills.org)

Rinat holds her son in the entrance of her home as she waits to be evicted by Amidar Public Housing Company, Givat Shmuel, October 21, 2013. Rinat was living with an old woman in a public housing apartment. After the woman died, Amidar decided to evict Rinat and her son. (photos: Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

Animal rights activists stopped a horseback riding competition in central Israel by barging into the ring, chaining themselves together and raising banners reading, “Enslavement is Not a Sport.” Thirteen were arrested. October 19, 2013. (photo: Keren Manor/Activestills.org)

Protesters hold a sign reading “Closed Centers Humiliate Humanity,” during a demonstration in support of asylum seekers and against current European migration policies, Brussels, Belgium, October 19, 2013. (photo: Anne Paq/Activestills.org)

An Afghan family stands in the street with some of their belongings after they were evicted by the police from a temporary shelter in Rue du Trône, Brussels, Belgium, October 22, 2013. In a demonstration that followed the eviction, more than100 Afghans and supporters were arrested. Around 150 Afghans, including women and children, live in the harsh conditions of the building, asking to be recognized as asylum seekers in Belgium. Without papers, Afghan asylum seekers cannot work or find decent housing. There are around 2.7 million Afghans who continue to live in exile and some 450,000 are internally displaced. Belgium has been involved in the Afghan conflict for 10 years. (photo: Anne Paq/Activestills.org)

Former Palestinain minister for prisoners affairs, Wasfi Kabha, and a political science university professor, speak at the Prisoners Exchange Strategy Conference that took place in Al-Najah National University in the West Bank city of Nablus, October 22, 2013. The conference marked the second anniversary of the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange (October 18, 2011), in which 550 Palestinian prisoners were freed from Israeli prisons. (photo: Ahmad Al-Bazz/Activestills.org)

A group of activists demonstrate against police violence in front of thousands of police members who were demonstrating for better conditions Brussels, Belgium, October 23, 2013. The day before a demonstration by Afghan asylum seekers was violently repressed by the police. More than 100 people were arrested and two injured. (photo: Anne Paq/Activestills.org)

Palestinian farmers from the West Bank village of Qaryut assess the damage done to their olive trees the day before by Israeli settlers, October 20, 2013. Officials from the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture on the scene counted 60 trees damaged belonging to 12 different farmers. (photo: Ryan Rodrick Beiler/Activestills.org)

A Palestinian child watches as Israeli soldiers place a concrete and steel barrier to segregate Palestinian pedestrians from Israeli traffic along a road in the H2 section of Hebron, October 22, 2013. The road connects the Ibrahimi Mosque (Tomb of the Patriarchs) in Hebron’s old city with the nearby Israeli settlement Kiryat Arba. Israelis are allowed to drive on the road, but Palestinians are prohibited from driving there without special permission. All settlements in the occupied Paletinian territories are illegal under international law. (photo: Ryan Rodrick Beiler/Activestills.org)

Palestinian farmers stand outside an agricultural gate in the Separation Wall, while Israeli soldiers open it. Ni’lin, West Bank, October 21, 2013. After the building of the wall in the West Bank village of Ni’lin, many farmers were separated from their agricultural land. In order to work in this land, they need to apply for permits from the Israeli army to cross the wall. (photo: Keren Manor/Activestills.org)

Palestinian workers wait outside Ni’lin checkpoint to get picked for work in the nearby Jewish settlements and inside Israel. In the background the settlement of Hashmonaim, West Bank, October 21, 2013. (photo: Keren Manor/Activestills.org)

Palestinian children confront Israeli soldiers blocking the path of the weekly demonstration against the Separation Wall in the West Bank village of Al Ma’sara, September 27, 2013. If built as planned, the Wall would cut off the village from its agricultural lands. (photo: Ryan Rodrick Beiler/Activestills.org)

A Palestinian boy flies a kite over water tanks atop his house in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, October 17, 2013. Like many West Bank communities, Bethlehem faces chronic water shortages because of the Israeli control of water access, which preserves access to Jewish settlements while frequently cutting the flow to Palestinian communities. (photo: Ryan Rodrick Beiler/Activetsills.org)

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Activestills is a collective of Israeli, Palestinian, and international photographers, united by a conviction that photography is a vehicle for political and social change. Our images are frequently published by many leading human rights, development, and advocacy agencies. To stay updated on our latest images, like Activestills on Facebook, visit our Flickr photostream, or get our email newsletter. Channel editors: Ryan Rodrick Beiler, Keren Manor, Shiraz Grinbaum.

As photographers, we believe in the power of images to shape public attitudes and to raise awareness on issues that are generally absent from public discourse. We view ourselves as part of the struggle against all forms of oppression, racism, and violations of the basic right to freedom.

About +972 Magazine

+972 is an independent, blog-based web magazine. It was launched in August 2010, resulting from a merger of a number of popular English-language blogs dealing with life and politics in Israel and Palestine.

+972 is an independent, blog-based web magazine. It was launched in August 2010, resulting from a merger of a number of popular English-language blogs dealing with life and politics in Israel and Palestine.